Everyday practised citizenship and the challenges of representation: second-generation associations in Bologna

Abstract

Italy is home to a population of second-generation children of first-wave migrants who are forming and becoming involved in various associations. If the first immigrant associations tended to struggle for recognition through engaging in social activities based on Italian associational structures, the second-generation associations tend to address fully the issue of citizenship and to cross local and sometimes national boundaries. This kind of strategy has proven crucial for youth that were schooled and socialized in Italian society but who encounter difficult prospects in social mobility and in seeing citizenship rights been granted. In their struggle, they contest and critique the representation that targets them as forever migrants, to enhance their access to economic resources, social participation and political representation. With this purpose in mind, they are also well connected through online networking. However, various members of these associations seem interested in realizing a practised citizenship within local everyday life more than on paper.

Keywords:

• Second generation
• associations
• citizenship
• representation
• participation
• diversity

Notes

In this paper we consider ‘second generation’ in a loose sense, comprising children of migrant background who have grown up in Italy as much as those who were born in Italy.

This study emerges from a broader research project, ‘Urban Contexts, Migration Processes and Young Migrants’ (PRIN Project 2006–2008), supervised by Professor Matilde Callari Galli. The project aimed to explore the socio-cultural experiences of young people of migrant background in two urban and multicultural settings: Bologna and Perugia. Between May and July 2009, Bruno Riccio was a guest at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity (MMG) in Göttingen, where he gave a longer version of the paper to a seminar organized by the Department of Socio-cultural Diversity, and we wish to thank all the participants for feedback.